Windows 10 Tip: What Does the Version Value Number Mean

To find what version and OS Build of Windows 10 you are running, open Settings app, go to Systems and About. Here is what you see:

Obviously, I am running Windows 10 Pro Insider Proview with Build on 15007.1000 at the moment. But what does this version 1607 mean?

The version number was firstly added to Windows 10 in November 2015 feature update. It’s a 4-digit code, 2 digits for the year and two for the month, that identifies when the version was released. Windows 10 Version 1511 was released in November 2015 and version 1607, the same number as shown in the screenshot above, was released in July 2016.

The marketing terms like Anniversary Update and Creative Update don’t really mean anything and can be safely ignored. They are just simply not part of the technical information you can find on Windows 10. But still, it’s good to know what they are referring to. Windows 10 Version 1607 is also called Anniversary Update. As for Creative Update, it doesn’t have an official version number yet and is only available to Windows Insider. It will be released in March or April this year.

The OS Build consists of two parts, separated by a dot. The left side of the dot is a 5-digit value presenting the build number associated with the version release while the right side is a 3 or 4-digit code indicating the most recent cumulative update installed. You can use Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 update history page to find detailed release notes relating to the build and released version.

The About Windows dialog, launched by Winver.exe, also displays the same version information.